This invention relates to adhesive bandages for covering and protecting wounds and to adhesive sutures utilized to secure opposite edges of a body wound or incision together to close such incision and to retain it in closed position during healing.
Such bandages and sutures are generally formed of a suitable textile fabric provided with an adhesive backing in which the adhesive layer is covered with a protective strip of plastic material which is removed to expose the adhesive prior to application of the bandage or suture to the wound or incision. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,402,716, a suture is provided in which the adhesive area is covered with a protective strip which keeps the adhesive layer sterile and in which end portions of the suture strip are not coated with adhesive to permit the unit to be handled at the ends without contact with adhesive. However, in this type of application, the protective strip must first be peeled back to expose the adhesive which requires contact with the adhesive layer and the resultant risk of contamination along with adherence of adhesive to the fingers of the person who applies the suture.
A similar structure is embodied in the commonly used, "Steri-Strip", a trademarked product of the 3M Company,which consists of a fabric strip reinforced with longitudinal filaments coated its full length with an adhesive and provided with a protective plastic sheet overlying the adhesive with the protective sheet being weakened near the ends to permit removal of end segments first to expose the adhesive at the end of the strip so that end or ends can be applied to the skin after which the remainder of the protective strip can be peeled away to permit full adhesion of the strip. In order to avoid contact of the fingers with the suture and the adhesive, it is necessary to utilize a tweezer or forceps to accomplish this. Similar problems result when such structures are utilized as wound coverings or dressings.
As shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2823672, a common type of adhesive bandage known as a "bandaid" is provided with protective strips which overlap over a central dressing pad to provide ends which can be engaged to facilitate removal from the adhesive layer; however, this arrangement leaves the central portion of the dressing exposed and requires enclosure of the entire unit in a protected cover to preserve sterility.
An interlocking suture which is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4141363 is provided with protective sheets which are peeled off from each segment but contact with the adhesive is not prevented or minimized. In one form the protective sheet is provided with an elongated end which can be grasped after it is peeled off one entire side of the tape to facilitate removal.